Published on 11 August 2021

Switzerland: Yellow Signposted Hiker's Paradise

Switzerland's hiking trails are marked out by a network of more than 50,000 yellow signs. Protected by the Federal Constitution and maintained by an army of volunteers, they have become an emblem of the country's love affair with hiking.

Yellow signposts mark footpaths and hiking trails in Switzerland. Protected by the federal constitution, they’re maintained by volunteers. — © Switzerland Tourism / Ivo Scholz

While hiking obviously isn't unique to Switzerland, the country has done more than any other to preserve the infrastructure of its hiking trails – even going so far as to enshrine them in the Swiss Constitution.

Adèle Thorens, a Green Party politician who represents Vaud in the Council of States and is also president of Suisse Rando

These marked trails are a gem: an exceptional tool and an incredible playground.

Pascal Bourquin, journalist based in the canton of Jura